Chez Darren Andrew

Tag Archives: BBQ


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Quinoa, Black Bean and Sweet Corn Salad

For the Salad:

  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 small red onion, finely diced
  • 4 green onions, chopped finely
  • 1/2 a bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
  • 1 cup quinoa (2 cups cooked), cooked as per package instructions (in chicken or vegetable stock) and cooled
  • 2 cups of frozen sweet corn, blanched in hot water
  • 500 ml can of black beans , rinsed and drained
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced

For the Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon, or a tbsp of bottled lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp of ground cumin
  • Salt and Black Pepper

Instructions:

Combine all dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add the jalapeno, red onion, green onion, cilantro and let sit while quinoa cooks and cools. Cook the quinoa in chicken or vegetable stock as per the package instructions, and when it is ready cool it by either placing the pot in cold water and frequently string and changing the water out until cool. Another option would be to make extra the day before to have leftovers to make salads like this one, rice or other grain like barley or millet could be used instead of quinoa. Mix all reaming ingredients in the bowl to distribute the dressing evenly throughout the salad.

This salad is best if left to mingle in the fridge overnight, but it’s great right away also. Enjoy!

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Black bean and Corn Salad with Jalapeno Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Black bean and Corn Salad with Jalapeno Honey Lime Vinaigrette

  • 3 tbsp liquid honey
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and core removed, finely diced
  • 1/2 white onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup of cilantro leaves, lightly chopped
  • 1/3 cup of olive oil
  • 1 can of black beans rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups of peaches and cream corn kernels, fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 a red pepper, finely diced
  • 1/2  a zucchini, finely diced

In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, cider vinegar, salt, pepper and cumin. Stir in the onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper and let sit for ten minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. This will allow the strong nature of these ingredients to mellow out and infuse the dressing with their flavors. Add the olive oil and cilantro before stirring in the beans, corn, red pepper, and zucchini to the salad. Cover and refrigerate for two to four hours, or overnight for best results.


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Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Chicken Burgers

These burgers are a great change from the standard beef burger. Feel free to switch up the ingredients to suit your taste, you can even try using this recipe to make chicken meatballs! Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Chicken Burgers

  • 1 roasted red pepper, seeded and peeled, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup of crumbled feta
  • 1 lb extra lean ground chicken
  • 1/2 cup of fine bread crumbs
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp onion soup mix
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp ground black chia seeds

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and form into 4-6 patties (I use a patty maker to get perfectly shaped burgers). Bake on a foil lined baking sheet, lightly oiled or spritzed with nonstick spray, at 425 for 8 minutes per side, or until browned on both sided and fully cooked. Serve on buns with spinach, fresh basil, and roasted garlic mayonnaise.

 


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Beer Marinades

Here is a triple hit of some of my recent adventures marinading meat while back on Vancouver Island. By marinading meat for several hours before grilling you get to infuse it with delicious flavour without much work at all, just whip up the marinade in a large zip top freezer bag, toss your meat into it and throw it in the refrigerator. Make sure to drain and discard all the marinade before bbqing and preheat the grill on high heat for at least 15 minutes to make sure you get a nice seer on your meat.   Another tip for perfect BBQ is giving your meat five minutes to rest after cooking, put your grilled meat on a plate and cover in a double layer of aluminum foil so the juices can calm down and redistribute throughout the meat. Enjoy the last days of summer with these BBQ marinades! Let me know what you think of them by commenting on this post!

Spicy Sesame Maple Marinade

  • 1/2 cup of soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup of maple syrup
  • 1 bottle of beer, Domestic Lager
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp pure toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp sambal oelek
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • Optional: 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish.

Mix all ingredients in a large zip top bag. Add your meat and marinade 8 hours or overnight. Discard the marinade, grill your meat and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Honey Tequila Jalapeno Lime Marinade 

  • 1 shot of tequila, stay away from the blanco use the aged stuff for more flavour.
  • 1 bottle of beer, use a Mexican lager
  • juice and zest of one lime
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 jalapeno pepper sliced thinly
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Course ground black pepper

This one is a favourite of mine for grilled chicken. Mix the marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Add chicken and let marinade 4-6 hours.  Discard the marinade and grill the chicken. I like to leave some of the jalapeno on the surface of the chicken to char up on the grill.

Habanero Molasses Marinade

  • 2 thinly sliced Habanero peppers
  • 1 bottle of beer, domestic lager
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 3 tbsp molasses
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • Course ground black pepper
  • Optional: Freshly chopped ginger root

Mix ingredients together and marinade meat for 8 hours. Discard marinade and cook meat as desired on the BBQ.


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Slow Cooked Baked Beans

Slow Cooked Baked Beans

Beans, beans the magical fruit… okay so maybe this isn’t the best way to start of a post on baked beans. However, the soaking process helps to release the sugars that cause bloating and gas. Make sure to discard the soaking liquid and replace it with fresh water. You’ll love this recipe for bake beans, it makes a great side dish for any kind of BBQ. You can also make it vegetarian by omitting the bacon. It also makes a great dish for entertaining, BBQ’s and Picnics and the residual heat keeps these beans warm!

  • 2 cups Dried Romano Beans, soaked overnight (yields 4 cups)
  • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 3 sliced of thick bacon, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 2 tbsp chile powder
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tbsp dried ground chipotle chili
  • 2 bay leaves

In a slow-cooker, add ingredients and cover, cook over high for 4 hours.

  • 1/2 cup of brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 196 ml tomato paste
  • 2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Stir brown sugar, red wine vinegar, tomato paste and salt into cooked beans. Transfer beans carefully into a large baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet to catch any potential spillage. Bake for an hour and check to see if they are to your desired consistency, they should be fairly thick. When they are done take them out and let them sit for at least ten minutes before serving. Beans get very hot and stay hot! The last thing you want is to burn your mouth before you get to taste them!

A side note : If you want to avoid the baking aspect, Just leave the beans in the slow cooker and cook on low for four hours longer. I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t work! This recipe also freezes extremely well, so make up a large batch and have baked beans ready for any occasion.


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Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad

Dressing

  • 3/4 cup of Mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s  1/2 Fat)
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 tbs Dijon Mustard
  • dash of hot sauce
  • 2 shallots, finely diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 dill pickle, finely diced
  • Black Pepper

Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl, until sugar is dissolved and dressing is light and creamy.

Salad

  • 1 box (375 g) of whole wheat elbow macaroni, boiled and drained
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1/4 red pepper
  • 1/4 yellow pepper
  • 1 small zucchini
  • 8 radishes
  • 1 green onion

Add pasta to the dressing, stir and set aside. Dice all veg into pieces about the size of a cooked macaroni noodle. If you decide to use a different kind of pasta, adjust the size of your veg accordingly. Mix together and refrigerate to let the flavors combine. Add any veg you have to this recipe, some chopped cabbage or broccoli would be great! You can even add rinsed drained canned chickpeas to give it a protein kick!

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